hen zejin >> today on christiaworld news, u might call it an oh acis, the world's largest muslim nation, how it is giving life and light to the communy. and in china, faith and business, how christian entrepreneurs are growing in number and influence. and this mother spent 10 years in hiding from her muslim family and speaking freely of her decision. a christian commity in the world's largest muslim natn a lighto their community. hello, everyone i am wendy

griffith. george thomas is on aassignment. there is a growing christian influence in indonesia. one example is a unique village called blimbing sari. people there call it the promise land. >> reporter: all 250 homes in the blimbing sari village in balias this ball neez cross hanging on their doors to signify their christian faith. they boa it has been 100 percenchristian since 1959 when they were given this land by the dutch government. ketut suyaga ayub is the head of the christian church. >> there will be no more christian movement in the villages. this was a dangerous place because of a lot of mosquito

and snake and wild animal. but the christian who came here, there were about 39 families in the beginning, they found themselves as a new exodus to the new promising land. >> pastor ketut suyaga ayub says they taught themselves hard work. every family gets 2 acres of land from the government where they farm and raise cows. even children are encouraged to be productive. >> you get a strong spirit for your life. this is a promising land because of prayer. manytimes this village elected us the best village economically, spiritual, we are elected as a place, free from drugs and gambling. >> pastor believes another

reason the villagers remains strong because they still worship in the style of their forefathers. >> once a month the villagers in blimbing sari worship in the traditional way. it is very important to prevefsh theirulture, even in the expression of theifaith. >> everybody have a sense of feeling of balinese. in the sense of our culture. >> because the love of god is felt in the community, new settlers that are non believs are attracted to the faith. one is a former mlim. >> i was ill and they helped me get surgery. i lived among christian people. i learned chstianity. i believe in jesus christ as my own savior >> he was a former hindu who

studied at the christian orphanage. >> i wasn't sure about salvation, but when i believe in jesus chst i will be with jesus in heaven. >> perhaps most amazing of all, this christian village boasts a 0 peent crime rate. >> the village chieof blimbing sari. >> the people here are diligent, disciplined, hardworking and we love one another. the people learn the christian way of life, they don't drink, they don't steal. >> today governnt and private government organization flock to learn the example. they are yet to tab her success, the savi lord of her jesus christ. bali, indonesia.

some businessmen are openly dedicating their companies to spreading the gospel. george thos has the story from beijing. >> reporter: tiananmen squar at shop no. 37, liu xixian and liullichang and chen zejin are doing what they want to do. it wasn't their original goal. >> soon after we opened our perspectives changed. we got a new vision. >> they went from selling antique furniture to opening one of the christian stores in beijing. >> we have bible verses everywhere. i want people to know and learn about god. i wanthem to be attraed to jesus christ. >> the chens open up their shob back in 1994.

since then busineshas been thriving. today they have a ministry found in the background. >> they say this is their real ministry, a small group of new christian convts learning how to thrive economically in the new china. for a few hours every week, men and men gather to worship, pray and how to manage their finances from a biblical perspective. >> god wants us to be ethical with our finances and we will not bless us and we cannot bless his nation. >> this man is just now tasting the truths of the blessing. >> i used to lie, cheat and

steal. i made money and lots of it. >> couple of years a, he was living life as a million area. >> i drank, did drugs, gambled and cheated on my wife. i didn't pay taxes. >> he still felt empty. >> i felt hallo i became a buddhist. i even hired aftersritual leader to say prayers over me. i was getting desperate. my marriage was falling a part. i wanted to kill myself. >> then one day a friend invited him to church. >> that was the first time i had ever heard about jesus. that day jesus saved my life, marriage, and my business. >> he took his multimillion

dollar pharmaceutical compan and turned it upside down. >> i don't make as much money, but i pay my taxes. i tell everybody what jesus has done for me. >> more than 200 people working for him, majority have converted to christianity. staff members gather for prayer and worship in the company's conference room. he and his wife hold weekly bible sties. >> i believe the nation that trusts god is a blessed nation. we want to instill these godly values in our people and business. that is what we are praying and preparing for. >> they are part of a small but growing group of christian entrepreneurs that meet regularly to grow and develop spiritlly. >> encourage each other, study the bibltogether. >> so many christian men and

women are transforming the business culture by bringing truth and integrity into the marketplace. >> i think it will be changed. you see the way they are doing business is chaing. >> a change, they hope will one day transform their nation. >> i walked through the valley of the shadow of death, i know what iis like to feel empty and hopeless. i also know how to experience freedom d hope. jesus is the answer and i want to tell others about him. >> georgethomas cbn news, beijing. coming up, this christian convert from islam once lived in fear for her life now e is speaking out.

>> welcome back. in some muslim countries, leaving islam for christnity

is punishable by death. the woman you are about to meet escaped egypt only to find harassment here in the united states. >> first thing i said this cannothappen here. this is the land of freedom. they cannot reach me here. >> rorter: for more than 10 years, amani mustafa and her 2 children were in the run in the united states hiding from her ex-husband and brother. both threatened to kill her if she didn't return to egypt and islam. amani became a christian after reading the bible in secret in the bathroom. her father summoned her to home. >> he said is it islam or is it christ? as i was about melting, i said it is christ. and um, at this point, he got

up to hit me and he said he is going to do this and that and very threatening and tie me to his car and make me an example to the cy. >> amani fled and in hiding for several years. she later married a musliwho promisedshe could practice her christian faith in secret. his attitude changed after their second child born. amani was no longer allowed to attend church. she had to wear a veil. he said she struggled when her husband made her read the koran to their children. >> i feltlike i was feeding my children poison. that was the hardest thing, to know the truth and not be able to speak it. >> amani's husbd agreed to send her and her children to move to the united states.

he vowed to join them later. she felt a sudden sense of freedom when the plane left egyptian air space. >> first thing left was my vail. my son said mom you are going to go to hell. he said son we just left. >> once in america amani rededicated herself to christ. she told her husbanshe was filing for divorce. he said amani would pay a price for r decision. >> he sent his brother after us. they were listeninto our conversations for myself and my family, my mom, also. there were people surveilling us. i didn'tknow that this could evenhappen. >> amani and her children fled to another state where her

husband couldn't find them. today more than 10 years late the threats have disappeared. she has moved forward publically wither life. she is called to serve in ministries reaching out to women cing persecution. amani and her co hosts talk about their experiences with islam. >> there are so many women living under muslim husbands or muslim fathers or muslim families that are living the same things i am living, that i lived back then. there are so many women that need to know and hear about the freedom of christ that i experience today. those tears are not tears of pain, but they are tears of appreciaon. because now i know that i am saved through the grace of christ.

>> amani feels privileged to share her joy on televisi and proud of her children. son joshua has become an ordained pastor and oldest daughter in ministry. she enjoys a loving marriage with her american christian husband and daughter, mary. >> i am convinced every experience iwas to be used for s glory. you see we have a choice, either we sit and mope and weep over our spilled milk or we can just use the hardship and the bad experiences for his glory and i choose to glory god's name. >> gary lane, cbn news. up next, the ministry that is helping these backpackers find the narrow path.

igdal knew every year, young

adultslock to news new zealand flock to go backpacking, tse that stop in the town of wanaka make an unexpected discovery. >> it is known as the backpaer phenomenon. thousands of young people between 18 and 29 flock to noouz new zealand to go on walk about. they discover themsves. there is a whole culture geared just for bapackers. here in wanaka loted in new zealand's south island. there is a church dedicated to reaching this transient population. on this sunday evening, young peoplefrom germmyjapan and holland are among the visitors to wanaka's lighthouse church

a. local missionary hosts a barbecue for the backpackers. offer of free food and fellowship is enough to draw a small crowd from the local inns. >> people are really different here. really friendly. >> you are a buddhist but hope to hearing about jesus? >> i am not good at buddhism, buddhist. i am interested about every way of thiing. >> that is what i like here in new zealan the hiking, the walking trips. >> would you say you are a believer in jesus? >> i am not a big belier. it is also that i am, that i don't believe. >> you are seeking. you are experimenting, you are searching? >> i think there is much more. >> jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel. what do you do if the world is comeing to you?

christians here in wanaka, new zealand say it is a good problem to have. >> it has been somethinwe really love, the fact that we don't have to go all over the world. they are drawn to us, to this beautiful town. >> acts 1:8, start in jerusalem and don't stop until you have gone to the utter most parts of the earth. consider the irony, here we are in new zealand these 2 islands floating in the south pacific. you can't get farther from jerusalem than we are now. it is a place where all the world is coming. >> 32-year-old natalie nelson, a california native felt the call to plant this church in wanaka. >> i traveled all around the world and spent months and months with a backpack on my back. i see them coming through that

feeling, wish someone had taken me in or learning to meet people so quickly. >> scott says people are searching for something deeper in their lives and new zealand special beauty often opens their hearts to receive it. >> something about being immersed in the creation of causing this sensof worship. people call it all different things, connection with a greater being or mother earth. but the point is, it is a spiritual connection. and my joy is introducin people to the create or of the creation they are experiencing >> scott's ministry gives out special bibles for backckers. for some it is a seed being planted, for others it is the truth they have literally been searching the world to find. >> truthfuy these are the

change agents, the leaders, by touching the backpackers in new zealand, you are actually touching the whole wor.

>> finally this week in israel archaeologist are excavati a 1st century synagogue where jesus might have taught his disciples. chris mitchell has the report from galilee. >> it is located north of tiberias and on the shore of the sea of galilee. synagogue sat at the edge of mig dalg once a thriving community of 30,000 and home to mary magdalen. workers are still digging at the synagogu they cafully sift from the dirt. they hope to uncover more of what some believe is one of the most significant archaeological finds in history.

dee na leads the excavation. when she discovered the synagogue, she knew it was special. >> i thought to myself, deena, are you telling me you are in the synagogue of the 1st century? >> this is the first discovered in the gag galilee. it layed below the surface for 2,000 years. >> look how close to the edge of the surface, 2,000 years waiting for us to excavate it, to find it, to put it again to the air. so that evebody all over the world can see it. nothing touched the synagogue, it is a miracle. this is an archaeologist's miracle. >> archaeologist ephen fawn.

>> we know the place was destroyed and not built upon after the firscentury. goes back to the time of jesus and his disciples. >> this stone base, on the side of the base is a carving of a mon nora. they believed they copied it from the one in the temple of jerusalem. >> it mar the first one ever found from the first century. it is also the first menorah portrayed asa jewish symbol. it played a key roll in the synagogue. >> we believe it was a base of a prayer table. it had 4 kind of columns made of stone. on top of it, a shelf or a piece of a table who stands next to it, put his scrolls or paper on top of it and prayer

or say his words to the community. >> given the age of the synagogue, it's location and history of the galilee, it is likely jesus taught there. >> we can say jesus was standing, the rabbi of the communitwas standing here in prayer and saying his words to his community, no doubt. >> in the meantime, worke continue to categorize and record their finds. they expect it to be open to the public where the world can see the place where jesus might have led his disciples, chris mitchell cbn ne